Blood Brothers
by Titan5
Summary: An injured Sheppard and McKay must depend on one another for survival, and learn a little about each other along the way. Hurt,comfort, friendship.
1. Chapter 1

This takes place after the episode "Trinity" in the second season, but is not really an episode tag. There are a couple of references to things said in the episode.

Disclaimer: I have no legal rights to Stargate Atlantis characters or anything else.

Chapter 1

Rodney McKay slowly came to a stop and bent over, hands on his thighs, gasping for air. He absolutely could not run another foot, he didn't care who was chasing them. He heard Sheppard slow to a stop beside him. They stood like that, gasping and catching their breath, for several minutes. Sheppard started to take a step forward and weaved a little bit, bumping into McKay's arm. McKay took hold of Sheppard's upper arm and placed his other hand on his back, guiding him towards a large tree. There he helped the colonel turn and slide down into a sitting position, his back against the rough tree trunk.

"Thanks," Sheppard managed to say between breaths.

McKay stood and looked at him for a minute before saying anything. Mostly he was looking at the arrow sticking out of Sheppard's right shoulder, an ever widening circle of blood staining the area around the entry site. He kneeled in front of Sheppard. "Do you think we lost them?"

Sheppard nodded. "I haven't seen or heard them in a while. I think the run down the stream helped. We should be okay for a few minutes." He looked McKay right in the eyes. He needed McKay to understand and agree. "You've got to get the arrow out. I can't run around the woods like this."

McKay was already shaking his head. "Oh, no. I'm not a doctor or a field medic. I'll do a lot more damage than good. We'll circle around back to the stargate and let Beckett have the honor. That's what we pay him for."

Sheppard's expression did not change. "No, Rodney. I can't wait that long. Look, I'm going to be straight with you because I need you to understand the situation. I should have stopped bleeding by now. It's not gushing or anything, so it didn't hit an artery, but I think I may have nicked something bigger than a capillary. If we don't get a pressure bandage on this thing soon, I'm going to bleed out before we make it to the stargate. I can't do that with the arrow there. I need you Rodney. Don't let me down."

Rodney winced, remembering a time not so long ago he had assured Sheppard that he could trust him and he would not let him down. And then he had. Actually, he'd blown up most of a solar system and almost taken them with it. He could see determination in the man's face. He had promised to regain Sheppard's trust. This was a chance to start.

"What do you want me to do?"

Sheppard smiled. "Nothing to it. Do you have a knife?"

McKay's face went white and he broke out in a cold sweat. "A...a...a ...knife?"

"Relax, McKay. I just want you to cut the vest enough I can get it off my arm."

McKay let his breath out so fast, he made himself slightly dizzy. "Oh...yeah...I knew that." He dug around and found his knife. "Got it!" He tried to cut away the fabric as gently as he could, but a certain amount of tugging was necessary. He grit his teeth together as he heard Sheppard inhale sharply. "Sorry."

When he had finished, he pulled the vest carefully down Sheppard's arm. The whole right side of the vest and Sheppard's tee shirt underneath were wet with blood. The clothing was so dark that McKay had not realized how heavily Sheppard was bleeding. "Why didn't you tell me it was this bad?"

"I don't know. I seem to have a hard time carrying on a conversation while running for my life through a thick forest with an arrow in my shoulder. Just a me thing, I guess."

"Oh, that's funny. If you bleed to death, I am not carrying your smart ass self back to the gate. I'll leave you here to get...eaten by the natives."

"I don't think they're cannibals, McKay, they're just pissed at us. Now take a deep breath and get a grip. It's going to be okay."

McKay nodded. "Okay. I'm okay. What next?"

"I basically need you to cut the sleeve out, but I need you to cut back far enough that you cut out around the arrow."

McKay nodded he understood. "You realize this is going to hurt."

Sheppard really wanted to say something sarcastic, but McKay was looking a little green around the gills, so he decided to play nice. "I know...it's okay. We've got to do this."

McKay nodded again and swallowed hard. Sheppard was starting to get worried because they hadn't gotten to the hard part yet. It took McKay several minutes, but he finally got the fabric cut and torn away. He noticed Sheppard was starting to grow pale and his face was covered with a film of sweat.

"You okay? We can stop for a minute." McKay suggested.

"No. Let's do it before I lose my nerve." McKay really looked worried at that. "Check my back. I don't think the arrow went all the way through."

McKay leaned forward and looked down Sheppard's back. "No, it didn't go all the way through."

"I was afraid of that. Well, I can tell it's almost all the way through. It's going to be easier going out the back than the front." He pulled his gun out of the holster and pushed it toward McKay. McKay looked terrified.

"What do you expect me to do with this?"

"Well not shoot me, if that's what you think. Jeez, McKay, calm down. I need you to be calm and focused for this. I want you take the butt of the gun, line it up straight as you can, and hit the bottom of the arrow. You've got to hit it hard enough to pushthe arrowall the way through. I'd prefer we do it straight and hard enough to do it on the first try. I don't really want to sit here while you hammer it through slowly."

McKay just sat there staring at Sheppard with his mouth slightly open. Finally, he managed to say, "Kidding...you've got to be kidding. I can't do that."

Sheppard looked at McKay firmly. "McKay, I understand. I honestly do. But I need you to look at how much blood I've lost and think about how long it will take us to get back to the gate. I can't keep bleeding like this and live. It's as simple as that. I need you McKay...and I trust you. You can do this."

McKay looked at Sheppard's shirt. Even though it was black, you could see the line of saturation. Almost the whole front and side of his shirt was saturated and beginning to leach onto the top of his pants. The glistening of the area around the wound told him that fresh blood was still flowing. Sheppard was right. They had to get pressure on it and soon. And Sheppard said he trusted him. "Right. Okay, I'll do it. Let me know when you're ready."

Sheppard smiled weakly at him. "Thanks! Just try to go straight and hard."

McKay tried to smile back. "I won't let you down."

Sheppard nodded, closed his eyes, and held his breath. This was going to hurt. "Ready." He hoped he didn't sound as shaky as he felt.

McKay was terrified he would hit the arrow crooked or too hard or not hard enough. But he mustered all his courage, lined up the butt of the gun, and hit the base of the arrow. Sheppard had clenched his jaw tightly to muffle the cry he knew would come and his good hand held the wadded up bottom of his shirt in a death grip. His head was leaned back against the tree trunk and he was gasping for air. McKay put his hand on Sheppard's good shoulder to help steady him. Sheppard's eyes opened to slits. "Please...tell me...it ...went...through."

McKay leaned forward and looked, sighing with relief. The head of the arrow was now visible, completely through the back of his shoulder. Blood streamed down his back. "It's okay. It's through."

Sheppard sighed, visibly relieved. "Good. Break the arrow and pull it out."

McKay broke the shaft of the arrow and then pulled the remainer of theit through Sheppard's shoulder, concern for his friend etched in his expression. "I got it. It's out. Are you okay?" Sheppard was white as a ghost and panting shallowly.

"McKay...sick..." McKay caught on quickly and helped Sheppard lean over so that when he vomited, it didn't get all over his clothes. It was bad enough to be covered in blood. He sure didn't want to have to smell returned lunch the next several hours. When the heaving stopped, McKay helped Sheppard back to sitting in front of the tree.

"Well, that's a heck of way to say thank you. I'm not sure helping you is worth the trouble. But...I guess I will anyway. It's not like anyone else will put up with you." McKay began pulling bandages out of the pockets of his vest.

Sheppard looked up at him weakly, a small smile forming on the barely conscious man. "Thanks." he whispered softly.

"No problem."

TBC


	2. Chapter 2

Thanks for all the great reviews on chapter one. I had big plans to write the whole story and post it when I was finished (I think this one will be shorter than the others), but when I got finished with chapter one, I wigged out. I couldn't stand not to post it and start getting feedback. I can't help myself -addicted to reviews. I'll try to finish quickly, however, since I understand the frustration of waiting on the next chapter. Some of you know that I am rather impatient in that area. Anyway, on with our story.

Chapter 2

McKay and Sheppard moved quickly through the forest. They weren't running, but they weren't wasting any time. It had been almost an hour since McKay had removed the arrow from Sheppard's shoulder and bandaged it. John had to admit, it felt a lot better. He was still a little light-headed and his shoulder still hurt, but having the arrow out helped. The most important thing was having the injury tightly bandaged. It not only felt more secure, but the bleeding had slowed considerably. Sheppard knew from experience that the bleeding wouldn't stop entirely until Beckett got hold of him. It was probably a bad sign that he almost looked forward to that.

McKay eyed him warily. "You doing okay?" Although Sheppard looked better than he had earlier, he still didn't exactly look good. He was still a little pale and seemed wobbly. "And don't say..."

"I'm good," they said in unison. They stopped moving and looked at one another before breaking out in laughter.

"Am I that predictable?" asked Sheppard, still smiling.

"Oh, you have no idea," replied McKay. "That in mind, how are you really?"

"Not bad, really. Shoulder hurts, but not as bad as before. The bleeding had slowed quite a bit. I guess I'm still a little light-headed, but not too bad. I'll make it okay. McKay...thanks. You really came through for me back there. I won't be forgetting it any time soon." He smiled at Rodney, hoping he knew that he really meant it.

"You're welcome," Rodney replied rather quietly. "Thanks for trusting me."

The two men continued walking in silence...but it was a comfortable, friendly silence.

As they walked, Sheppard thought about how they ended up in this mess. They must be jinxed. This day had gone from a day off to a short, simple mission, straight to a living nightmare.

He had been sitting in Weir's office, chatting and drinking coffee, killing time on his day off. He would have to learn to run first and ask questions later when he saw McKay coming. But he hadn't done that. He had continued to sit there sipping his coffee as McKay strolled into Weir's office, ultimately ruining his day.

"Elizabeth, I need to run back to M4P-322. I've been going over the digital pictures we took of the text on the ruins and I can't read any of the ones taken off the back wall. I knew we shouldn't have tried to teach Ronon to use that camera. None of them are usable. Well, there is that one that I can see the last three letters..."

"Rodney," she interrupted, realizing when he got distracted like that he could babble for ages. "Today is supposed to be your day off. Why don't you take it easy and you can go back in a couple of days."

McKay looked shocked. "A couple of days? I can't wait a couple of days. Elizabeth, this could be important stuff, essential to saving our lives. You want me to wait two days?"

Weir sighed. McKay made everything sound like an immediate life or death issue. She made a face at Sheppard, who was trying to hide his grin behind his coffee cup. He was enjoying this a little too much. "Rodney, your whole team has the day off. Teyla and Ronon went to the mainland for the day, so they aren't even here. You already have a mission scheduled for tomorrow. You can go back the day after that."

McKay rolled his eyes. "I don't need a babysitter. We've already been to that planet three times and nothing has happened. I'll go by myself. It won't take me two hours. Thirty minutes to walk to the ruins, thirty minutes to take pictures, and thirty minutes to walk back to the gate. Less than two hours." McKay smiled, certain that she couldn't say no.

"No."

The smile faded. "What do you mean, no?"

"You aren't going to an alien planet by yourself, I don't care how many times we've been there or how benign it looks. How many times have we been caught off guard by just such a set of circumstances. The answer is no." She looked back down at her papers, her way of signaling the conversation had ended.

Sheppard looked at McKay's crestfallen expression and took pity...his first mistake of the day. "What if I go with him? I can watch his back while he takes pictures."

McKay looked suprised. "You'd do that? Give up your day off to go with me?"

"Yeah, I'm not really doing anything constructive. Just hanging out annoying Elizabeth so she doesn't get any work done."

Weir nodded. "Well, that part is certainly true. I haven't gotten a thing done since you got here." She looked at the two men with their playfully pleading eyes. They were so much trouble. "You realize the last time I let the two of you go anywhere alone, you blew up half a solar system."

John held up his hands defensively. "That wasn't me. I'll try to keep a better watch on him this time." McKay rolled his eyes, but didn't say anything. He could tell she was thinking about it and he didn't want to ruin his chances.

"All right. Just don't blow anything up this time."

"Yes, ma'm," they said in unison as they left her office.

Sheppard laughed as they walked. "You want to let me in on the joke?" asked McKay.

"I was just thinking about this morning and wishing I'd kept my big volunteering mouth shut." He realized McKay was a little too silent and regretted his comment. "McKay, this was not your fault. We haven't seen a soul any of the times we've been here. We had no way of knowing there were natives and they would take personal offense at strangers in the temple ruins. This could just as easily have happened if we had waited and come later."

"Of course then there would be four of us instead of two and we would have had a better chance of scaring them off and getting back to the gate," he said bitterly. "You might as well stop trusting me, because I don't deserve it."

"Stop it!" Sheppard had stopped moving. "If I didn't trust you, you wouldn't be on my team. It's as simple as that. My trust is not based on never making mistakes. My trust is built on whether or not I can depend on you to back up the team...to be there when we need you and to always give your best. If it meant never making mistake, there wouldn't be anyone on the team...especially me. Lord knows I've made more than my fair share of mistakes." His voice softened slightly. "You don't need to be perfect...and you don't have to always be right. Just be Rodney. I can live with that."

McKay ran his hand through his hair uncertainly. He paused and rubbed the back of his neck. "Okay. I can do that."

"Good. Let's get moving. I want to make the gate before nightfall."

Over the next hour, they encountered groups of natives twice. Both times they managed to stay hidden in the brush and quietly change direction. Eventually, they came to a steep, downhill slope. They stood at the top, looking down the side of the hill, each calculating the risk of going down the slope.

Sheppard flashed an encouraging grin to McKay. "Don't worry, McKay. It's a piece of cake."

McKay looked at Sheppard. The bandages on his shoulder were wet and red with blood that had soaked through. "You've bled through. I should change the bandages."

Sheppard looked down at the soaked red cloth covering his shoulder. He was trying not to let McKay see how badly his shoulder was throbbing, but it was start to make him a little dizzy. He had to keep focused until they got down the hill. "Rodney, we need to get down the hill and out of sight first. We can't go around ...we've already tried that. We can do this. I'll go first and show you."

McKay shook his head. "No you won't. You only have one good arm. I'll go first so I can help anchor you...in case you lose your grip."

Sheppard thought briefly about arguing. It was his nature to try to protect others, so he felt like he should be first. But McKay was right. He could barely move his right arm and when he did, it sent waves of agonizing pain through his shoulder. This would be a one-handed climb. McKay was somewhat suprised when Sheppard agreed.

McKay slid over the side and began slowly picking hand and foot holds. "Don't look down," Sheppard called from above him. McKay, of course, immediately looked down and clutched the rocks even tighter. "I told you not to look down."

McKay sighed loudly. "Thanks for the advice. Are you coming anytime today or do you need an engraved invitation?"

"Keep your shirt on, McKay, I'm coming." Sheppard eased himself over the side, closely hugging the side of the hill. He found he had to grip the rocks with his right hand in order to move his left hand and not fall. He tried to find a rock close enough he didn't have to lift his arm much, but that wasn't easy. After a few feet, he was starting to grunt in pain with each effort. He could feel the blood flowing out of the wound a little more quickly. By the time they were halfway, he was getting very light-headed and nauseous. He pressed himself into the rocks, closing his eyes and panting shallowly.

"Colonel?" McKay sounded worried.

"I'm good... Just gotta...catch my breath a minute."

McKay took a step to come back up closer to Sheppard. He was afraid he'd pass out and fall. Even though they were a little over half way down, it was still several feet to the bottom. He didn't think Sheppard could handle even more injuries. He reached up to grab the rock outcropping near his right hand. As he shifted his weight to that hand, the outcropping broke off in his hand, throwing his balance off completely. He scrambled madly, trying to find another handhold, but it was too late. He felt himself falling, bumping against the hard rocks until something collided with his head and the darkness swallowed him.

TBC


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

"Rodney!' Sheppard realized McKay was falling, but there was nothing he could do. He was barely holding on himself. When the rocks and dirt around him settled, he turned his head to look down the hill. Rodney lay at the bottom, unconscious. He couldn't tell how badly McKay was hurt, only that he was hurt. "Rodney, can you hear me?" No answer. Sheppard closed his eyes again, focusing on clearing his head. He had to get down to McKay. He finally opened his eyes and began to carefully climb down. Several minutes later he reached the bottom.

McKay was lying on his back, arms sprawled out to his sides. There was a deep gash across the left side of his forehead, blood running freely down the side of his face. Sheppard nervously checked for a pulse. Getting one, he sighed with relief. He looked around. He needed to get McKay over beside the cliff, where they could be somewhat protected by the overhanging rock above. They were sitting ducks out in the open like this. He checked for broken bones as quickly as he could with one hand and then grabbed McKay by the back of his shirt and vest, dragging him over to the protected area near the rocks.

"McKay, can you hear me? McKay, time to wake up now." No response. Just great. What else could happen? He began digging in his vest with his good hand, looking for more bandages.

Almost an hour after McKay fell, his eyelids finally began to flutter open. Sheppard almost missed it because he hadbegun to dozeoff himself. McKay uttered a low moan as his eyes began to open and immediately put his hand over his face to block out the bright light.

"Ah, sleeping beauty awakens," commented Sheppard.

McKay still couldn't get his eyes open, but recognized the voice. "What does that make you, the frog prince?" he asked hoarsely.

"Actually, you're the one who sounds like a frog right now." Sheppard held the canteen up to McKay's mouth so he could take a sip. He wanted to lift his head a little to reduce the chance of strangling, but he didn't seem to have enough hands at the moment. McKay managed to get a few sips in his mouth, along with some that ran down his face.

"How about turning down the lights? It's awfully bright in here." McKay still had his hand over his face.

"Okay, McKay...I admit to an ability to activate a certain amount of ancient devices, but the last time I checked, I had no control over the sun. You may just have to learn to live with it."

McKay was still and quiet for a minute. "We're not in the infirmary, are we?"

"Not unless Beckett has done some serious redecorating. And I would definitely object to his choice of beds. " Sheppard put his good hand on McKay's shoulder. "Are you okay, because you're really starting to scare me?"

McKay finally pulled his hand away from his face and blinked until he managed to get his eyes open. "Oh, man. We're not in Kansas anymore."

"McKay?"

"To use your phrase, keep your shirt on. I'm okay. It just took me a minute to get oriented and remember what happened. At least up to the "Oops, I'm falling" part. Help me sit up."

"Okay, but take it slow and easy." Sheppard helped steady McKay as he slid himself up into a sitting position, back resting against the rocks.McKay was wondering at the wisdom of the move as his head throbbed and swam and his stomach rolled.

Sheppard watched with concern. He had a pretty good idea how McKay felt. "Keep your eyes closed a minute until the dizziness settles." He kept his hand on McKay's leg to help ground him. In a few minutes, McKay slowly opened his eyes again. "Better?" Sheppard asked.

"A little," replied McKay. He lifted his hand to feel the bandage wrapped securely around his head. He looked at Sheppard in confusion. "How did you do that with one arm?"

Sheppard just smiled. "I'm a man of many talents."

"Whatever."

"So what hurts besides your head. I couldn't find anything broken, but it was hard to check with one hand."

McKay began to move various limbs, looking for anything that didn't work right. It didn't take him long to find it. "Ow! Okay, something major wrong with the right ankle. That hurts!"

Sheppard moved down to McKay's ankle, carefully untied his shoe, and slipped it off his foot. He could tell the ankle was swollen. He peeled back the sock to see a black and blue puffball of an ankle. "Ah, crap, McKay. This is not good."

"Ya think? I thought you said nothing was broken."

"I said I couldn't find anything broken. Remember, I'm operating with one hand here. Besides, I don't think it is broken. I think it's just sprained."

"Just? Say that again when I try to walk on it."

"I can help you."

McKay looked at Sheppard as if he'd just grown a third eye. "Let me get this straight. **You** are going to help me walk? You can barely stand yourself, as I recall. By the way, how's the shoulder?"

"It throbs, but I'll live. We're gonna make it out of here McKay. You know that, right?"

McKay looked at his twice-its-normal-size ankle and the blood-soaked shoulder of his pale-looking helper and sighed deeply. "Sure," he said, wishing he believed it.

Back on Atlantis, Weir was getting very worried. Sheppard and McKay were several hours overdue and, with those two, it had to be bad news. She walked down the steps to the gateroom to meet the soldiers grouped there. "Major Lorne?"

"Yes, ma'm." Major Lorned approached Weir and stopped in front of her. "The team is assembled and ready to go."

"Very good, Major. Radio me as soon as you get to the temple ruins to let me know what you find. You have a go."

Major Lorne nodded and turned back to his team. Weir went back up the stairs as the gate was activated. She arrived at the top of the steps in time to see the men go through the gate. "Bring them home," she whispered to herself.

The first thing Major Lorne did upon arriving at the planet was to attempt radio contact with the missing men. The radio made some strange crackling noises, as if it was about to connect, but they never received an answer. "Okay, let's move to the ruins. Keep your eyes open. We know there's something going on here - we're missing two men." He motioned the men forward.

Sheppard and McKay had just managed to wrestle McKay's shoe back on and were getting up when the radio crackled. Sheppard listened intently. "...Lorne...Colonel...you..."

Sheppard tapped his radio mike. "Major Lorne, this is Colonel Sheppard. Do you read?" They heard a lot of static, followed by silence. Sheppard looked around. "Do you think all these rocks could be blocking our signal?"

"It's possible. Maybe if we can get away from here, we can try again. At least we know there's someone out there looking for us." answered McKay.

"Okay, let's go." McKay put his right arm around Sheppard for support. He couldn't drape it over Sheppard's shoulder, as he would ordinarily have done, because of the arrow injury, so he put his arm around the colonel's waist. The two men took several faultering steps until they worked out a rhythm that wouldn't throw them both to the ground. And so they went, one man hobbling on a sprained ankle and dizzy from a concussion and the other weak from blood loss and slowly drifting toward shock.

"Hey, McKay. You ever hear the phrase, 'the blind leading the blind'?"

"Yeah, so? Neither of us is blind...at least not yet. Of course the day isn't over yet."

"No, I was thinking we're more like the crippled leading the crippled. Or maybe the pathetic leading the pathetic."

"Oh, good. I'm feeling so much better about our situation now, with those words of encouragement. Why don't you save your strength and not talk."

Thirty minutes later, Major Lorne and his team reached the ruins. The team discovered many arrows and signs of gunfire. One of the men also found blood on some small trees just leading into the forest on the back side of the temple. He was about to contact the men he left at the gate to dial Atlantis and report when his radio came alive.

"Major Lorne, do you read me? This is Colonel Sheppard. Please respond."

Lorne smiled at the men around him. "Yes sir, we read you loud and clear. Please advise of your situation, sir."

Sheppard and McKay grinned from ear to ear as they looked at each other. "Good to hear your voice, Major. McKay and I were attacked by the locals. Guess they don't like strangers in their ruins. We're trying to make our way back to the gate taking the long way around. We've run into a couple of groups of them, but so far we've managed to stay hidden. I'm not sure what our ETA is. Probably a couple of hours or so."

"Are you and Dr. McKay okay? We found blood at the ruins."

"Well, we're both a little worse for wear right now. That's kind of slowing our progress. I took an arrow in the shoulder and McKay has a concussion and a sprained ankle."

"Give us your location, sir, and we'll come and get you."

"Negative. Move back to the gate and wait for us there. There's too many groups of natives and we're playing in their back yard. I don't want anyone else hurt. Just keep the gate secure and we'll be there in a while. I'll radio when we get close so you can advise of the current gate status."

"Yes, sir. We'll advise Atlantis of the situation. They were getting worried."

"Good. You might want to..."

About that time, Sheppard and McKay turned to the sound of people crunching through the underbrush and shouting at one another.

"Oh crap. We've got enemy approaching. Don't call us, we'll call you. Sheppard out."

Sheppard and McKay began moving as quickly as they could, which wasn't really very fast. Sheppard stopped and pointed to a rock cliff several feet in front of them. "Look, there's kind of a low rock overhang down near the ground. I think we can crawl back under it far enough they won't see us. I don't see us outrunning them,so hiding is our best bet."

They made their way over to the wall and crawled under the rock outcropping. When they got underneath it, they discovered it opened up into a small cave. It was just barely large enough to sit up in, but was far enough under the overhang to be invisible from outside. They took a place on either side of the small room and sat quietly, listening to the men moving around outside. No one made a sound for at least ten minutes after the sounds from outside had stopped.

"You think they're gone?" whispered McKay.

Sheppard nodded. "Yeah. Let's stay a while longer to be certain. We could both use a breather."

They sat in silence for several minutes. They watched each other with growing concern over the other man's condition. Sheppard's shoulder was soaked in blood again and he was obviously getting weaker. McKay's ankle was about twice the normal size and he was almost constantly dizzy from the bump on the head. McKay began fidgeting nervously.

"McKay, you got ants in your pants over there?"

"No...I was just thinking...I...well...you know, if something happens...I just wanted to say...thanks for being ...my friend...and...I...well, I care about you."

Sheppard, who had been getting a drink from his canteen about then, sprayed water across the cave and turned red in the face coughing. "Jeez, McKay! You don't say that kind of stuff to a soldier..."

McKay rolled his eyes in exasperation. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Colonel. That's not what I meant and you know it. I mean...like a brother. I always kind of wanted a brother. I have a sister, but we were never really close. I don't know why, really...we just never...clicked. I always kind of thought I'd like having a brother. Older...younger...I didn't really care. Just...a brother. You know what I mean?" He looked over at Sheppard, who was strangely silent, a far away look in his eyes.

"I had a brother," he whispered. McKay barely heard him. Sheppard's eyes drifted, unfocused, for a minute. McKay got worried he was about to pass out. Then he seemed to bring himself back to the present and made eye contact with McKay. "Brothers can be really cool You want to know the bad part about having a brother?" He looked down at the floor of the cave. "Losing him."

McKay didn't quite know what to say. He had just learned more personal information about Sheppard than the whole last year combined. He wanted to know more...he desperately wanted to know more about this crazy flyboy who had somehow become his best friend. But he didn't know how far to push. Sheppard was not to be hurried about these things. "Was he older or younger?"

Sheppard remained quiet so long that McKay thought he wasn't going to answer. "Younger. Three years younger." Sheppard rubbed his forehead. His shoulder throbbed and his head was spinning and he was spilling his guts to McKay for some reason he couldn't quite get a handle on. Suddenly he felt like the whole situation was spiraling out of control. And then, still not understanding why, he talked to McKay.

"Jacob...Jake was such a pest when we were kids. He kept following me around everywhere. I thought he was the biggest nuisance. Then...somewhere along the way...he became my best friend. Maybe because we grew to depend on each other so much. Our mom died when we were kids and dad...the year Jake graduated from high school. We just stuck together a lot through all that." Sheppard looked away for a second and seemed to be trying to catch his breath. McKay thought he saw him try to casually wipe his face.

"What...what happened?"

"He just kept following me...He joined the air force. We always talked about flying when we were kids...I guess he loved it as much as I did. We used to say it was in our blood." He smiled briefly, obviously remembering something about his brother. "God, I miss him so much sometimes. He'd have loved Atlantis. He always wanted an adventure." He bowed his head and closed his eyes a minute. Why was he doing this? He'd never talked to anyone about this and he had thought he never would. He just couldn't seem to stop himself.

"We were both stationed in Afghanistan. I got caught behind enemy lines and did several weeks as a POW. There were several of us that were determined to be...enemies of the state. They couldn't manage to beat anything useful out of us, so they made a big deal about how they were going to execute us. Our side decided to run a rescue op. and of course, Jake volunteered. He was part of the crew laying down cover fire from the air. After they got us out, they flew us straight to the hospital. It was two days before they took me off pain meds enough to tell me Jake was dead. Odd thing is, I think I saw him go down. I was kind of wiped out by the time they got to us, but as they were putting me on a chopper, I saw someone get hit and go down. I had no idea it was Jake. I've replayed that in my head about a million times. Sometimes I think I can see his face." He put his head in his hand and rested it there a minute. "McKay...how do you live knowing your kid brother died trying to save your life? I never have really gotten a handle on that one."

McKay was speechless. He knew Sheppard had never opened up to anyone like this. He was both honored and frightened. He felt a great burden of responsibility to say the right thing...to be the support that Sheppard needed. "That's why. I understand now. That's why you have this driving need to protect and save everyone, no matter what the cost to you. You're ...trying to ...to make it up to your brother...to make the most of his sacrifice."

Sheppard looked up at McKay. "I don't know...maybe...I just...I just feel so guilty when I think about it. I'm the big brother...I was the big brother...and I'm supposed to protect him, not the other way around. Sometimes...I just wish they'd left me there."

"No! That is not the way to handle it. That doesn't honor his memory at all. All you can do is...remember him to keep him alive and do your best. Remember what you told me. None of us are perfect. We just do our best and back each other up. That's all any of us can do. That's all he was doing." Sheppard slowly nodded. "Hey, do you have a picture of him?"

Sheppard smiled. "Yeah, back in my quarters. I'll show you when we get back." McKay smiled and nodded.

They sat in silence a few minutes. "Hey John, were you ever blood brothers with anyone?"

"Blood brothers?"

"Yeah, you know...when you were a kid. You each cut your finger and then smear your blood together and then you're blood brothers."

"No, I don't think I ever did that. Why, did you?"

"No, but I knew kids that did. I always thought it was cool, but I was never close enough to anyone to do it. I was just the weird nerd everyone made fun of."

"And you're telling me this why?" John asked suspiciously.

"Well...we're kind of like brothers."

"We definitely have the whole fighting/sibling rivalry thing down. Are you asking what I think you're asking, McKay?"

McKay looked a little sheepish and Sheppard grinned. At first McKay thought he was going to make fun of him and he wished he hadn't said anything. Then Sheppard suprised him. "Okay, but on two conditions. One, you never tell anyone. I'm not sure how this kind of thing might affect my position as military leader. Two, I'm not cutting myself. I don't need any more bleeding holes in my body, so I'll just use what's already available if you don't mind."

McKay couldn't believe it. Sheppard scooted across the floor until he was right in front of McKay. He reached up and touched the bloody bandage on his shoulder, his hand coming away red with fresh blood. That scared McKay more that just a little. McKay looked down and found a cut on his arm. He rubbed the dried blood until it started to bleed again and smeared the fresh blood on his hand. He held his bloody hand out and Sheppard touched his bloody fingers to McKay's. They rubbed the blood together and then gripped each other's hand in a sort of sideways handshake.

"Blood brothers," said McKay.

"Blood brothers," repeated Sheppard. Each smiled weakly at the other.

TBC


	4. Chapter 4

Thanks for all the kind and encouraging words. We're almost done. Dr Dredd - Thank you for the information. Please let me know when I goof. To be honest, the whole time I was writing about the arrow I was thinking they probably shouldn't remove it, but I just really wanted to write it that way. I tried to make feeble excuses about why he wanted to do it, hoping to make it believable. I know - I was bad, but I'm glad you understand why. I'll try to redeem myself next chapter - watch for it.

Chapter 4

McKay's mind wandered, drifting along just below consciousness. He was trying to bring himself back to the present. He felt there was something he really needed to do. Something about...brother. He had a brother. That couldn't be right...he didn't have a brother. Something...no...he did have a brother...blood brother...Sheppard. There was something about Sheppard. He slowly cranked his eyes open, thankful that the light was dim inside the cave. His head still throbbed like little demons grinding away in his brain. He was beginning to remember. Finally getting his eyes to focus, he watched Sheppard, who was propped up against the opposite wall. Sheppard's eyes were barely open a slit and he was very still and very pale. As McKay watched, his heart began to beat rapidly in his chest. Even though Sheppard's eyes were slightly open, there was nothing to indicate consciousness. He was too still.

" Colonel! John can you hear me?" McKay quickly scooted across the floor of the cave and pressed his shaking hand out to touch the side of Sheppard's neck. His skin was cool and that scared McKay even more. Just about the time McKay picked up a faint pulse, Sheppard inhaled sharply and his eyes fluttered. He struggled to clear his vision.

"McKay? Man, you look like crap."

McKay exhaled loudly, looking down at his shaking hand. "Have you looked in a mirror, lately? You just scared the crap out of me. I thought for a minute you were...you know."

Sheppard wiped the sweat from his face with his good hand. It seemed to require way too much energy to perform such a simple task. "Guess I must have dozed off...or passed out...or something. We'd better get moving."

McKay nodded. The two men struggled to their feet. They were both exhausted and sore and really wanted to be safe back in Atlantis. This desire was what gave them the energy to get going again. McKay looked down at his bloody hand...had he dreamed it? He glanced at Sheppard, leaning against the side of the cave watching him.

"Ready...brother?"

McKay smiled. "You bet."

As they made their way to the entrance, Sheppard said, "Just remember our deal. This is our little secret. Bates would probably have me relieved of duty or something. You know that man has no sense of humor or adventure. I doubt the man was ever really even a kid. Somehow I don't think he'd understand the phrase 'a kid at heart'."

They crawled out of the cave, grunting and panting the whole way. When they got out in the open, they both had to lay on the ground for a few minutes, trying to catch their breath. "Colonel...that just doesn't sound right. Major was so much easier. It sort of rolled off the tongue more smoothly."

"Hey, McKay...don't ...diss ...my promotion. Worked too hard for it."

"Yeah, whatever. Can we go now?"

Sheppard nodded tiredly. "Just try and stop me."

The two men once again struggled to their feet. Leaning heavily against one another, they began their trek through the woods. They staggered along for almost forty-five minutes before they finally had to stop for a minute.

McKay was so dizzy, he was causing them both to lean dangerously to one side. Sheppard was so weak, he simply didn't have the strength to support them at such an angle. He helped McKay lean against a tree so he could sit down against it and rest. Sheppard, swaying, then managed to get to the next tree and sit down himself. They were both breathing heavily, fighting pain and exhaustion.

Sheppard activated his radio. "Major, this is Sheppard. What's the gate status?"

"Colonel, we were getting worried. The gate is secure. We've seen some of the locals, but we fired a few rounds in their direction and they're keeping their distance. Where will you be coming in from sir? Maybe I could send an escort to meet you."

Sheppard was so tired, he almost didn't have the energy to answer. "I hope I have us coming in from the back of the gate. I'm purely guessing here, but I think we're onlytwenty minutes or so out. At this point, an escort might not be a bad idea. McKay and I aren't in any shape to put up a fight if we come across any of our friends from earlier."

"Good. I'll send Cooper and McAlister to meet you and we'll advise Atlantis."

"Copy that. Sheppard out." He looked over at McKay, who looked as weary as he felt. "Can you make it a little further?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"No, not really. Come on, McKay. We're almost home." Sheppard worked his way to his feet and promptly flopped back down on his butt. He looked somewhat dazed and sat swaying gently back and forth.

McKay sat upright. "John? Are you okay?" Sheppard's eyes seemed unfocused and he appeared to be struggling to keep them open.

"Just...give me... a minute...Kind of...dizzy." After a few minutes, Sheppard seemed to gain a little control and once again stood up. After swaying a second, he steadied himself and moved toward McKay. "I'm okay now.'

Sheppard leaned against the tree propping McKay up and reached down with his good hand. McKay reluctantly took his hand and, using the tree as leverage, worked his way to a standing position. Now it was McKay's turn to sway back and forth. "Oh no...Oh, no..." McKay's face turned a funny shade of green as he leaned forward and emptied his stomach of everything he'd taken in that day. Sheppard put his hand on McKay's shoulder, partially for support and partially for comfort. He remembered all too well the miserable feeling accompanying the activity.

McKay leaned back against the tree and closed his eyes a minute. Sheppard couldn't help but think how totally pathetic they were as he offered Rodney a drink. "We better get moving McKay. If we don't get out of here soon, someone's going to have to carry us. I'd just as soon walk through the gate to Atlantis under my own power."

McKay nodded. "Yeah. Me too. Let's go." And so they did.

A few minutes later, they were met by Cooper and McAlister, the soldiers Major Lorne had sent. The two soldiers were rather young and inexperienced and they were shocked at the appearance of the two injured men. Mostly they were amazed that anyone could look that bad and still be on their feet. They offered to help the men walk, but they insisted they could manage by themselves - they only needed the escort in case they were attacked. A few minutes later, the four men arrived at the gate.

Major Lorne's first thought was _Why are they alive_, followed shortly by _How are they still walking._ He knew they both needed immediate medical attention. McKay's head wound had bled through the bandage and he still had dried blood over most of one side of his face. He was limping badly, indicating his right ankle had a serious injury. The shoe wasn't tied and looked as though his foot might burst out of it at any minute. Sheppard's shoulder was wrapped in a blood-soaked bandage and it looked like he'd bled out all down his shirt and onto the top of his pants. Several small streams of blood had run down his right arm and were partially dry. Both were pale and sweaty, covered with scratches, bruises, and dirt. Death warmed over is what his mother would say.

"Cooper, dial Atlantis. Tell them we're on our way and to have the medical teams waiting. Man, is Dr. Beckett going to have a field day with you two, sir."

A few minutes later, they were ready to step through the gate. Sheppard and McKay clutched each other and leaned on the other one heavily. They moved slowly, afraid each step would be the one that toppled them over. But they were both determined to walk through the gate. They stood unsteadily just a foot or so in front of the blue puddle. They glanced at each other briefly and then stepped through the gate... together.

TBC


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Elizabeth Weir decided to stop by the infirmary on the way to her quarters. John and Rodney had returned to Atlantis several hours ago. Rodney should be settled and John should be out of surgery by now. Dr. Beckett had assured her that they would both be fine, but she would rest easier if she saw them herself. She walked into the room and looked around.

McKay was sitting up in bed, tapping away on his laptop (suprise, suprise). His right ankle was propped up on a pillow and he had a fresh bandage on his forehead. He was a lot cleaner that the last time she had seen him and wearing a fresh pair of scrubs. He stopped typing and looked over at Sheppard. It was more than a passing glance, she realized. He was checking his condition as best he could from his position.

Sheppard was asleep, no doubt heavily medicated. Even from across the room, she could see the heavy bandages on his right shoulder. It had taken a couple of hours of surgery to stop the bleeding and repair the damage caused by the arrow. He was hooked up to an IV, as well as a blood transfusion. Beckett said he'd never seen anyone lose that much blood and still get up and walk. He was also hooked up to a heart monitor, just as a precaution according to the doctor...because he'd lost so much blood.

She heard Beckett walk up behind her. "How are our boys?"

"They'll be okay. We'll have to torture Rodney waking him every couple of hours tonight. He had a pretty bad concussion and it took quite a few stitches to close that head wound. He'll have a nice scar to show the ladies. His ankle is sprained, but not broken. He'll be off his feet a while with that."

"And John?"

"Aye, I think he'll be okay as well. May take a little longer to mend. I was really worried at first. His vitals dropped off dramatically right after they got here. I think he was holding it together just long enough to get them back to Atlantis. It was touch and go the first couple of hours. He's holding his own now, though. We've got the bleeding stopped and several units of blood in him. His vitals are coming back up nicely."

They watched as McKay leaned over toward Sheppard's bed. Sheppard had stirred slightly and he was responding to it. "John, can you hear me? Are you awake? I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. We're safe in Atlantis...Rest and get better."

Sheppard moaned slightly. They had no idea if the movement was coincidence or if he heard McKay talking to him. Beckett looked thoughtful. "Somethin's different."

"What do you mean?" asked Weir.

"I don't know. I can't put my finger on it. Somethin's just...different. Never mind, lass. It's probably just me. Run along and get some rest, yourself. You can stop by tomorrow when the Colonel is awake."

Weir nodded and headed for her quarters, glad her "boys" were back home. She often thought she couldn't get by without them...and then some days she wondered how she got by with them. This had been one of those days. At least they didn't blow anything up this time.

Sheppardhad begunslowly making his way towards consciousness, until the intense throbbing in his shoulder dragged him moaning into the present. He struggled to open his eyes, but the lids just seemed too heavy. He realized he could hear faint repetitious sounds in the background, somewhat comforting in their pattern. He slowly came to realize that one was a heart monitor and the other was... He peeled his eyes open a slit and worked on focusing. It took almost a minute for the fog to lift and his vision to clear. Rodney sat in the bed next to him, typing on his laptop. He tried to say his name, but his tongue seemed to be stuck to the roof of his mouth. He only managed a low moan, but it did the trick. McKay looked over at him.

McKay watched him for a few seconds, trying to decide if anyone was home or not. Sheppard's face flickered briefly into what looked like a passing smile and he made a sort of croaking sound. "Beckett...get in here!"

Carson Beckett was there almost before McKay finished calling him. He followed Rodney's gaze to Sheppard. He bent over Sheppard and tried to see if the partially open eyes looked focused.John tried to speak again, having a little more luck this time. "Thirsty." Beckett smiled and reached for a glass of water. He held the straw to Sheppard's lips. It seemed to take a monumental effort just to get a sip. "Thanks." Beckett could barely hear him.

"Glad to see your awake, Colonel. I was beginning to wonder. How's the shoulder?"

"Hurts." Sheppard was getting frustrated that all he seemed to be able to manage was one word at a time.

"Aye. I brought your pain meds down a notch so I could get you to wake up a few minutes. I wanted to check on you and be sure you were okay, after losing that much blood. Son, you should know that you never remove something like that until you get to a doctor. That arrow could very well have been putting pressure on an injured blood vessel and keeping you from bleeding to death. Don't ever remove a penetrating object like that again."

"Needed...to...get...pressure...couldn't...run..." Sheppard was exhausted from trying to explain his reasoning and he wasn't sure he even made sense. He was so tired and his shoulder was really starting to kick up some pain. He just wanted to go back to sleep.

"I understand what you're saying. And I may have made the same call had I been there. I just want you to know for future reference - that's usually not a good idea. Hang tight and I'll get you something for that pain." Beckett turned and went to the other side of the room.

McKay leaned toward Sheppard. "You going to be okay?" He looked worried.

"I'm...good. You?"

McKay smiled. "I'm good too. Get some rest."

Beckett was back, sliding something into his IV line. Sure enough, he felt himself slipping away and he welcomed it.

It was almost two weeks before Beckett released Sheppard from the infirmary. Sheppard sat on the edge of the bed, listening half-heartedly to the stern lecture about taking care of himself and not overdoing it. His right arm was in a sling (which he was quite sure he didn't need any more). He guessed he must have tuned Beckett out, because he suddenly realized that the good doctor was no longer talking.

"Did you hear anything I said, lad?"

"I heard it. I know what to do. Keep my arm in the sling, check in daily, don't overdo it. be sure to breathe. I got it."

Beckett was not amused. "Seriously doc, I got it. I'll be good, I promise. Just let me out of here before I lose my mind."

"I'm the one gonna lose his bloody mind," muttered Beckett. "You can go. If you're not here by noon tomorrow for your check, I'll hunt you down and you **will** live to regret it."

Sheppard gave a left-handed salute, slid off the bed, and headed out the door. He paused before he left, though, and turned back to Beckett. "Doc...thanks for saving my hide again." He smiled and then he was gone.

Beckett just shook his head.

Sheppard hadn't gone far when he met McKay headed his way. McKay was still limping, but he'd managed to ditch the crutches. "Hey, I was afraid I'd missed you. You want to get some lunch?"

"Yeah, sounds good. Let's stop by my quarters on the way. I've got something to show you."

They arrived a few minutes later and entered Sheppard's room. It seemed really empty, almost as though you could tell no one had been there in a while. Sheppard walked over to the desk and opened the top drawer. He pulled out a five by seven picture and handed it to Rodney. McKay looked at the picture a minute before it dawned on him what it was. There were two air force pilots with their arms around each others shoulders, standing in front of a helicopter. One was obviously Sheppard, several years younger that he was now. He still had "the hair", but his face was younger and the lines softer. The man next to him looked like a slightly younger carbon copy. He was an inch or so shorter, his nose a little rounder, his face a little younger. But he definitely had "the hair" and he looked almost like Sheppard's twin. They were both wearing that cheeky grin Sheppard flashed when he was up to no good.

"My God, he looks just like you." After McKay spoke, he worried that he shouldn't have. He looked up at Sheppard, gauging his reaction. His expression seemed neutral. "Why do you keep it in the drawer?"

Sheppard stood there looking at the picture in McKay's hand. "Because sometimes it hurts too much to see it. If I keep it in the drawer...I can choose when to look at it. It doesn't catch me off guard."

"I don't know what to say. I didn't know.. I'm sorry John."

"I know. Thanks. I'm getting there." He took the picture and carefully placed it back in the drawer. He looked at the floor a minute before bringing his eyes up to meet McKay's. "I have not idea why I told you all that stuff. I guess you know I've never told anyone else...Anyway...thanks for being there...and for listening."

McKay smiled brightly. "No problem. That's what brothers are for. Huh! I always wanted to say that."

"You're strange, McKay. I guess it's too late to change my mind about this whole blood brother thing."

"Too late! We mixed our blood and you can't undo that. We'll be blood brothers forever. Can't take it back."

"Hmmmm. Well, in that case, come on and I'll buy you lunch." The two friends headed for the mess hall, both realizing that things had changed and they had, through it all, grown closer...sort of like...brothers.

The end

Sappy, I know. I'm having a moment.


End file.
